Sourdough and Charcoal Macarons at Goose Bakery

Two ex-Bourke Street Bakery chefs, a baker and a pastry maker, open their own place in Glebe.

Photography: Leigh Griffiths

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Photography: Leigh Griffiths

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Photography: Leigh Griffiths

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Published on 06 November 2015

by Nicholas Jordan

Walking into Goose Bakery Cafe is like sliding under a warm doona, or slipping into a scented bath. You feel instantly cocooned, comforted and welcome. A big part of that is down to the owners and bakers, Toshiyuki Miyazawa and Heejung Kim, some of the loveliest people you’ll meet. The duo has been jumping between bakeries for some years. They have spent the end of their tour together at Bourke Street Bakery. Goose is their first independent project.

“It was my long-time dream to have a bakery of my own,” Miyazawa says. “I'm a baker, I don't know much about pastries and cakes, but I know Lina (Kim) is really good, her skill is amazing. I knew we could team up.” Miyazawa makes the daily sourdough loaves, baguettes and fruit-dotted brioche, and Kim makes the cafe’s beautiful range of cakes; she also designed the store. Considering she’s a trained pastry chef, it’s rather impressive. Goose is a lovely place to sit and have a cake and cuppa, either outside on a single squat bench in front of the wide glass façade, or inside at a communal table below a family of bird watercolours. Miyazawa says the birds are from a local artist and will be for sale soon. The pair will host a gallery space over the weekend for the artist and hope to do more similar events in the future.

A highlight is Kim’s miniature charcoal macaroons, which are as technically impressive as they are handsome. They’re joined in the back cabinet by a floral cheesecake, a selection of muffins and some of Miyazawa’s sandwiches, of which the best is Wagyu with wasabi mayo. Other dishes are homemade muesli and a well-priced avo on toast. The front cabinet is filled with danishes, coconut croissants, cupcakes, rich and thick cake slices and cutesy biscuits. Try the firm-but-soft walnut cinnamon snail, a gooey-centred salted-caramel tart or a brownie-dense rum-infused slice of chocolate tart.

The coffee, made with Five Senses beans, is handled by Miyazawa. True to the cafe's identity, every drink is served with a cute shortbread, each one resembling a different object or animal. Little touches like this make it no surprise that Goose, open less than a moth, has already developed a loyal following among the Ross Street locals.